Tampa Attorney Richard K. Fueyo was the featured speaker during WMU-Cooley Law School’s Tampa Bay campus Constitution Day Speakers Series on September 17. During the event, “Voting Rights & the U.S. Constitution,” Fueyo, a member of the American Constitution Society and shareholder at Trenam Law, spoke about how voting rights have evolved and the role the constitution has played.
“Where is the right to vote in the U.S. Constitution?” asked Fueyo. He noted, “You wouldn't necessarily find the rights to vote in the U.S. Constitution, there are a few areas when we talk about guarantees beyond the first amendment and we will get into the aspects on how it relates to voting.”
Pictured: WMU-Cooley Law Professor Joseline Hardrick and attorney Richard K. Fueyo.
Speaking about the amendments to the Constitution, Fueyo said, “We get into it (voting rights) at the 15th amendment, which almost gets forgotten, like it doesn't exist, gives the men right to vote regardless of color. The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920. The 17th amendment, which is often not thought of as a right to vote but it is because it mentions the Senators and right to vote.”
The event was organized by the law school’s Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity.
